Montpelier-East Montpelier

Route Description:

 

* Park in the City of Montpelier (public parking can be found in several lots and on the street, but it's not always easy, especially when the legislature is in session). After seeing the various points of interest downtown, proceed north on Main Street bearing right at the roundabout across from the former Masonic Temple which now houses a medical clinic.

* Climb steadily out of town on Upper Main Street (on the way you will pass the New England Culinary Institute on the left - the school operates several fine restaurants in the City which are well worth visiting!). After a sharp left hand turn, Main Street becomes County Road, flattens out a bit and becomes a bit more rural in character. About a mile and a half out of town you will pass the Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks on the right where a variety of local agricultural products, crafts and gifts may be purchased.

* Continue on the County Road until its intersection with Barnes Road on the right (3.2 miles). Barnes Road (unpaved) will lead you through a residential area to the historic settlement of East Montpelier Center.

* Turn left on to Center Road (4 miles). Shortly you will pass the Old Meeting House (c. 1823), a National Register Historic Site and community landmark, on the right. Take a moment to admire this fine example of "Federal Vermont" architecture.

* Continue up scenic and historic Center Road pedaling on dirt surfaces past tidy farmsteads and beneath the canopy of majestic roadside sugar maples. Center Road appears in State records as early as 1793 as "the road from East Montpelier to Memphremagog" and as you travel upon it, you may believe that time is standing still.

*At about 6.6 miles, turn right onto Sibley Road. Notice the old farmhouse which soon appears on your left - it was built in 1795 and is reputed to have been involved in the embargo of the War of 1812 and the Underground Railroad. Further down the road on your left, you will pass an impressive complex of agricultural buildings known as the Sibley Farm. The Groton Mountains to the east provide a splendid backdrop for this arresting scene.

* Shortly after the Sibley Farm, the road branches into a "Y" at a grassy triangle. Take the left fork and continue for 0.5 mile before turning left onto a rugged jeep trail which runs uphill through a pasture within sight of the farmhouse at the end of Foster Road. Stay on this trail as it winds through the woods for about .6 miles. Turn right onto Chickering Road at the end of the trail.

* In just over 0,5 mile you will come to a "T" intersection. Turn right onto Guyette Road. One mile later turn right at another "T" onto Snow Hill Road. The views from the height of land on this road are inspiring - farms, fields, woods and mountains form a patchwork landscape.

* Continue straight over pleasant, rolling terrain for almost three miles. (Snow Hill Road will change to Dodge Road at a four-way intersection.)

* At the end of Dodge Road (12.8 miles) turn left back onto Center Road, through the hamlet of East Montpelier Center, past the Old Meeting House and back onto pavement. Continue on Center Road for about 1.5 miles to its intersection with the County Road. As you approach this junction, great long-range views open up to the south and west over the City of Montpelier.

* Turn left onto County Road and retrace your steps back down Main Street to downtown Montpelier. Use caution on this steep descent.

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© Copyright Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce © 2003, All rights reserved.
CV Chamber / P.O. Box 336 / Barre, Vermont 05641
1-877-887-3678 or CVermont1 @ AOL.com
and
Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission
26 State Street / Montpelier, Vermont 05602
(802)-229-0389 or [email protected]

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